Would you allow dd 13 years old to have WhatsApp?

chipmunks

Wed, Jan 08 2020, 12:53 pm

amother [ Rose ] wrote:

Yes, every single girl in the class has her own smartphone and whatsapp.
I'm a high school teacher and every single one of my pupils has one. We have a class group.

It's not that the school 'demands' this of the parents. It's not some unfair demand the school imposes. The kids all come with phones, and the school then uses that for communication. Whatsapp is simply the most efficient form of group communication.

(One thing that I LOVE about my girls' school is that they have a no-phone-out during school hours rule. No exceptions. It's great. I've taught at many schools that don't have that rule, and the kids sit like zombies with their phones during the break.)

As for the suggestion that my kids use my phone - no. That wouldn't work at all. My phone is private and off limits. I have many private conversations there with friends and family members, and I wouldn't want my kids using the same whatsapp. Even if I erased every single conversation every single time, someone could write something private at the very moment my child is with my phone.

It really, really doesn't sound like OP's daughter is in this kind of school. And the schools we send our kids to would theoretically kick a kid out for having a smartphone, so that's something else to think about if it applies, OP. Maybe filtered with just text is fine for them but Whatsapp is off limits.

Sadly, lots of kids who go to schools that don't even allow these kinds of phones sit like zombies with their phones at times other than the school day....

amother

Natural

Wed, Jan 08 2020, 1:08 pm

I had a smartphone at about 14 I did have WhatsApp on it and so did all my friends. We used it for more convenient texting but we definitely were spending more time on our phones than if we would not have WhatsApp. Sending videos on text is not very common sending long voice notes don’t either happen on text. I was added to a lot of different groups without being asked including some that I would not want my kids to be on. I left those groups but you can’t expect your kids to do that. I currently have WhatsApp on a google number that ONLY my family has. It’s not a matter of being more religious for me it’s spending less time on my phone than I already doing. My school does has a Whatsapp chat with all alumni and I’m not on it and managing perfectly fine. I have friends that share the important things I wouldn’t want to miss. I would say if she would accept a no or a not for now, there’s nothing to loose.

amother

Saddlebrown

Wed, Jan 08 2020, 2:43 pm

Zehava wrote:

All of these are possible with text

They are but text groups aren't like whatsapp groups and are uncommon nowadays. A whatsapp group - anyone can add you in and suddenly 200 people have access to your number and are hitting you up for nude pics.

I've seen it with my own little sister.
1000 times no I would NEVER allow a teen that age to have this.

avrahamama

Wed, Jan 08 2020, 2:56 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

thi is all possible with text messages as well. All one needs is a phone NUMBER and anyone can send anything as well.

My nieces have parent control apps on their phones. They cannot send or receive calls or texts from anyone that is not on their contact list. I hadn't been added to their list by the parents and it was annoying when I was offering them a ride somewhere.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Jan 09 2020, 2:32 am

amother [ Natural ] wrote:

Wow, you must be very young. Whatsapp has only been around for 10 years.
Sigh, I had a, childhood with no phone, no internet. What a different world Smile